Tag: Baseball

In sporting events across the country the religion of sports fuses with the religion of war—a mark of all militarized societies. Games at Fenway are as much about venerating the military as the Red Sox.

There’s a ripple of movement in Congress to strip nonprofit status from pro sports businesses such as the NFL and PGA, raising fresh questions about why taxpayers should support billion-dollar entertainment industries.

The obligations of religious toleration and pluralism require all who care not a bit about baseball to accept that Opening Day is more than the beginning of a sports season. It is a great religious festival.

The slugger’s saga speaks directly to matters of justice, ethics, historical memory, the role of media and spectacle at the beginning of the 21st century, and, of course, the priorities of business. As such, this contemporary tragedy reflects a country that seems adrift, morally challenged, in decline and with a profound loss of faith in established institutions.

Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Yunel Escobar came out onto the field during a game Saturday against the Boston Red Sox with “tu ere maricon” written in Spanish on his eye black, which translates to “you are a faggot.”

On the day the towers fell, furies flew out of the hole in the ground and like all restless spirits, they headed west. I did not realize it at the time, of course, but did have the sense a few days after the dust began to settle at Ground Zero that things had shifted, a feeling that we all had, as if the world itself had gone off its axis.

The Rocket is headed for the docket. Roger Clemens has been indicted for allegedly lying to Congress about his steroid use. How foolish of Clemens to testify without first procuring an insurance company or a bank, or offering his services as a military contractor. Doesn’t he know how Washington works?

Some presidents have been so revered that cities were named after them. So far, it’s been slim pickings for George W. Bush, whose list of honors now includes having his name on the owner’s suite at the Texas Rangers’ baseball stadium. It’s a fitting tribute for the man who once co-owned the team and a reminder of how different the world might be if only he’d kept that job.

Yet another top MLB player’s reputation has been besmirched by use of performance-enhancing drugs: Take a bow, Alex “A-Rod” Rodriguez. The Yankees star admitted Monday that he’d dabbled in steroids years ago in a moment of high pressure and youthful indiscretion. He said the drug use occurred only while he played for the Texas Rangers.

After throwing the first pitch of the 2001 World Series, President Bush said he “felt the raw emotion” of the fans. The same could be said for his latest trip to the mound, where he endured the boos of thousands.

On April 2, 2002, the Los Angeles Dodgers played a home game against the San Francisco Giants, raising the question: If both pitcher and batter are artificially enhanced, does that level the playing field?

The first big scandal confronting Rudy Giuliani in his presidential quest has nothing to do with his personal life, his governing style in New York City, or his associations with people such as Bernie Kerik, his police commissioner now under criminal investigation.

They’re gone! How to describe the euphoria, the smug satisfaction, the unrestrained elation at seeing the New York Yankees eliminated once again so early in postseason play? I’m thinking something silly, like, Eureka!

Mark Fainaru-Wada is one of two San Francisco Chronicle reporters who broke the Barry Bonds steroid stories. With a new book out, Fainaru-Wada discussed with Truthdig contributor James Harris whether Congress doesn’t have better things to do than hold hearings into pro sports; whether pro baseball really cares about cleaning up its image; and the federal government’s attempts to get Fainaru-Wada to disclose his confidential sources.